Saturday, May 11, 2013

In case you were wondering that first-year success would change Alfred Morris, you don't have to worry. He's still smart, humble, and willing to put in the necessary hard work.

In a recent interview with Shutdown Corner's Doug Farrar, Morris drops plenty of knowledge, including his advice to this year's rookie class, his willingness to learn and improve every day, how grateful he is that Mike Shanahan gave him the opportunity to compete for the job and eventually start, and some nuggets on Robert Griffin's III's progress. Here's a sample:

"I'm going to run hard and give you 100 percent on every play because every play could be my last, but I left a lot of yards on the field last year. Looking back on film, a lot of it was my aiming points in certain runs, or I was too tight and I couldn't get outside. Being more patient with my cutbacks -- I tended to cut back too soon. I was blessed, and I definitely don't take it for granted. Last year's behind me -- I'm beyond that."

I can't remember a single example of Morris not saying the "right thing" or giving a thoughtful, levelheaded response to any question. He's sort of like Griffin when he was first drafted by the team and gave countless flawless interviews, except RGIII is now saying things like "In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness" on Twitter. If Morris ever said something like that, I think my head would explode. Then again, when you're an NFL quarterback and a superstar athlete, I guess everything you do or say is news. No pressure, no diamonds, and all that.

Anyway, Griffin is fantastic and is insanely talented, but I prefer the previously unheralded Morris. Not only is he a powerful and skilled running back, but he's still holding onto his 1991 Mazda for dear life: "It's in the shop right now -- just a little maintenance on the radiator when the season ended, and I'm getting the axle fixed. . . . I know that eventually, I'll have to park it, but I want to keep it as long as possible. I know people call me cheap, but I'm being smart. There's no reason to go out there and waste money -- instead of spending that on me, I can help bless somebody else."

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Here's Manny Machado's go-ahead three-run bomb last night to complete the Orioles' ninth-inning comeback against the Red Sox. The Fenway Park faithful -- at least the ones still remaining -- were not happy:

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

This is John Wall's third season. Here are his field goal percentages in those years:

2010-11: 40.9
2011-12: 42.3
2012-13: 41.6

But here are his percentages from the free throw line:

2010-11: 76.6
2011-12: 78.9
2012-13: 83.2

Obviously free throws are different than jump shots. There's no one guarding you, you're not jumping, you can take your time, etc. But that's at least a little confusing.

In last night's 95-90 loss to the Kyrie Irving-less Cavaliers, Wall had 27 points (and 14 assists) on 7-15 shooting -- not bad. But he also hit 13 of 14 free throws. Maybe instead of saying things like, "Everywhere is my sweet spot," he should just talk about his progress from the free throw line.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Bradley Beal is 19 years old. He's also on the Washington Wizards. And since he's both young and on the Wizards, it's surprising that he's actually getting better -- and fast. Check out his numbers by month:

Month

Pts

FG%

3pt%

Reb

Ast

November

11.2

34.1

32.7

3.3

1.6

December

13.4

36.8

18.4

3.9

3.4

January

15.1

44.7

50.8

2.8

2.5

February

17.7

47.8

50.0

5.0

2.4

That's more points per month on better overall shooting. Those five rebounds per game in February are looking pretty good. The dip in assists from December to January/February also coincides with John Wall's return from injury.

Beal is playing well and shooting the ball with confidence. He's not only one of the main reasons why the Wizards are winning, but also why they're so fun to watch right now. And hopefully he stays hungry (not an Andray Blatche kind of hungry).